Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-02-03
THE NAVY Recommendations
Progress of Reform in the Department.
notwithstanding Republican Dead
Weights.

S@sH 81 l1lN.
| Progress of Reform in the Department.
Notwithstanding Republican Dead
Weights.
In his annual report for 1885 Secre-
tarv Whitney called attention to the
difficulties and draw backs under which
the Navy Department labored. and in
his second report, last year. he again
insisted upon the necessity of reor-
ganization of the department. Com
| gress is now wrestling with the ques-
ton. The bill embodying the substan-
ial points in Mr.. Whitney's report
passed the Naval Committee of the
House with but two dissenting votes
! Messrs. Boutelle, of Maine. and Croft.
/ Of West Virginia-and was warmly
/ discussed before the House on Thurs
/ day. The objections by the Maine
/ Representative and his West Virginia
/ me too are mainly based upon the
! ground that what was good enough for
/ the Navy Department half a century
! aro should answer now They do not
/ believe IN new measures or new meth
/ DDS for that department. According TO
/ their peculiar line of reasoning the
/ type 0f ships that carried the American
( tiag fifty wears ago would answer all
/ necessary purposes 1T the present day.
! II i well that M. Boutelle and Mr.
, Croft are in the minority in the report
! of the committee on this all-important
| subject. They would. doubtless, prove
! fitting associates for the ancient mari
| ner.n
At time when Congress has en-
| powered the Secretary of the Navy to
/ undertake the responsible work of ere
! atinr Il navy that is TO compare favor
! ably with the fleets Of other nations
! and is to embody the latest improve
/ ments and inventions in naval archi-
! lecture. it is. 90 say the least, remark
/ able for presumably sane member of
/ Congress TO oppose the reorganization
/ of the department on the ground that
! what was designed fifty years since
| should answer all contingencies now.
| Mr.. Whitney instanced cases in which
| the present system was found TO be
notably defective. One was where. in
the same wear. coal was purchased. by
different DavmaSters. from the same
persons. on or about the same DAYS.
! deliverable ut the very same place. of
like quality and character. but at prices
differing from fifty to sixty-ive cents a
! ton. Another result of the system
was in the ease of the Omaha,
Il repaired wooden vessel. in
capable Of fighting or running
away from any modern cruiser.
She was rebuilt under the Chandler
regime at an expense of 1872. 000.
which would have sufficed to build a
modern steel ship Of her size with all
modern characteristics. After the
Omaha had been commissioned and
was ready for sea. it appeared that the
several bureaus working independent
" upon her had so completely appro-
priated her space that thew had left her
coal room for not more than four days
Steaming ut her full capacity. Each
bureau. too. finds il necessary to MAIN
tain its separate shops in the several
navy yards. each with separate or
ganization of fOremen. quartermen.
leading man, etc. so that shops doing
precisely the same class of work-car-
penter shops and machine shops. for
instance, are commonly duplicated and
sometimes Implicated in the same navy
yard, with a corresponding multiplicity
Of fOremen and organization expenses
a state of things which. under the
present organization of the depart
ment, it is almost impossible TO cor
rect.
The bill now before Congress con-
,olidates and puts in efficient working
shape many of the bureaus of the de-
partment. and is also designed to. save
Il great deal of unnecessary expense TO
the Government. 1t is fairly and purely
n business proposition to enable the
Secretary of the Navy TO carry out the
great work before him with success.
But Mr.. Boutelle, like Mr.. Blaine. from
his State, sees politics IN every thing,
even in the reorganization of the Navy
Department.. He, probably, thinks it
would be bad Republican politics to let
Mr. Whitney succeed in creating Il
navy worthy of our country. Before
he took charge OF the department the
Government had expended. in seven
teen wears. over So. 900, 600 on the c0n-
struction. repair. equipment and ord
nance of vessels. which sum. with
very slight exception, was substantially
thrown away. During those years the
department drifted along without con-
sideration of what was done and with
no intelligent guidance in any direc- |
ton. Failure after failure and the ex-
penditure of vast sums of money,
without appreciabie return. were the |
results of the ill-advised and inconsid- |
crate manner in which important steps |
were taken under the present system. |
There is little doubt but that the de- |
sired reform in the organization of the |
Navy Department viii be granted by |
Congress in spite of the objections Of |
the ancient mariner from Bangor. or |
the ex-ruler of Uncle Sans navee'
from the banksof the raging kanawi1a. |
-4Lbamy -42gus.